Axel's Return
by Pennan Inque
Summary: "I knew I was dead. I had faded; there was nothing of me left. I was dead. Pure and simply dead. But then I woke up." The Organization returns and are more determined than ever to claim Kingdom Hearts. Things take a turn when a girl comes flying out of a wall chased by Neoshadows. Who is she? And why does she... glow?
1. Out of Thin Air

**Another Kingdom Hearts fic by yours truly staring…. AXEL! **

**Axel is one of my favorite KH characters and I thought he didn't get enough love in the games. This is the story of how Organization XIII returned and what their new plan is to obtain Kingdom Hearts- with Axel's new love interest! **

**Enjoy!**

I grumbled in irritation as I trudged grumpily through the downpour. Since my element was fire, rain was not something I welcomed with open arms. I felt sullen and cranky as I always did when drenched with water as I walked from The Castle That Never Was into the dreary streets. Another mission of extermination. Hurray.

I never understood why I was always sent on the icky jobs. Did I seem like the person who takes delight in ending the lives of others? …Okay, maybe I did a _little_, but it was totally dependent on the individual. If it was some lower class Nobody it didn't really matter, they are just shells that aren't supposed to exist. All us Nobodies have to leave sometime. I just make "sometime" come a lot sooner for the losers.

"Ah!"

My ears perked as I heard footsteps slashing on the water-soaked cobblestone. A voice, probably female due to the higher pitch, was panting for air in what I concluded to be either fear, exhaustion or both. I stopped walking and turned my attention to my right. There was nothing but the wall of one of the many buildings in the courtyard, yet the noise didn't stop.

"Ugh! Ah!"

More sounds, yet I couldn't see anything. I looked around, but there was just me in the open. I was beginning to think I had finally lost it when it hit me.

I mean, it _really _hit me.

"Wah! Oof!"

Out of nowhere, a body came soaring at me, knocking us both off our feet and onto the wet ground, water splashing everywhere as we landed. I grumbled. The thing on top of me groaned.

I sat up, the weight of whatever was on me shifting as I did. I glanced down at the body to see a girl, out of breath and panting. She couldn't have been older than twenty. Her drenched black hair clung to her face, the pieces that didn't hung around her shoulders as she caught her breath. She was just as soaked as I was, maybe more considering she wasn't wearing a jacket in the rain. A simple pair of tight black pants and a shirt were the only things covering her body besides the boots she wore. I noticed a few accessories on her and an ornate looking earring near the top of her left ear, but I doubted those did anything to protect her from the shower.

She struggled to stand, or even to move off on me, as quick as possible but when she put pressure on her feet, her legs buckled and she tumbled back down to my lap in what looked like pain. I surveyed her, noticing the cuts and bruises littering her body and only just seeing the slashes in her clothes. I gently grabbed her upper arms and helped her to her feet as I stood as well.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked.

The girl looked up at me and my heart- if I had one- would have broke. She had the brightest green eyes I had ever seen, probably more dazzling than emeralds. But if that wasn't enough, they were filled with terror.

"I-I'm being chased!" She said, trembling, clutching my organization cloak in fear or to keep herself up or both.

"Who's chasing you? Uh, hang on. Where did you even come from?" I asked.

"I have no idea!" she said.

"You have no idea about which question?"

"Both!" She quivered. "I was walking by myself when all of a sudden these _things_ came out of nowhere! They spoke into my mind, saying 'You must come with us'. They tried to grab me but I got away." She was frantic now. "They followed me, but I ran. I ran and ran and ran until I didn't even know where I was and then the things around me started to shift and I was in a building. The creatures still followed me so I kept running until I tripped. They nearly got me but I got back up and sprinted away, not caring where. When I looked up, I saw a wall but couldn't stop. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end, but I went straight through it as though it wasn't there. Then I landed on you. But those things are going to come after me again! They always come after me!"

"Whoa, whoa!" I said, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, I'll help. You're safe now. If the things come after you, I'll kill 'em, got it memorized? Now, what did they look like?"

"They were big, lanky and black." She said. "They had long scraggly antennae and claws the size of kitchen knives and- _Oh Lord!_ They're here!" She cried, pointing to the wall she flew out of. Just as she had described, black creatures, gangly and menacing, crawled out of the edifice. I recognized them as a more powerful breed of heartless- Neoshadows.

I clutched the frightened girl to me, summoning a single chakram and got ready to attack. The Neoshadows emerged from the brick, one after the other after the other. How many were after this girl? I blasted the heartless closest to us but the next were fast approaching. I destroyed group upon group of them but there were always more to take their place when their comrades fell.

"Ugh, why are there so many!" I yelled to the air, engulfing another line of Neoshadows in flame. The girl looked on helpless. "What do they want with you?" I asked her.

She gazed up at me with her big, terror-filled, green eyes. "I don't know!"

"Well, I'm not sure how long I can keep this up." I said, feeling the exhaustion hit me. "They just keep coming!"

"I'm so sorry!" The girl cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "You should have never helped me!"

"Hey, don't talk like that." I said. "I couldn't just let you alone, now could I?"

"Yes, you could have! But you chose to help me and now we're both going to die! I am so sorry!" Tears slid down her cheeks as she began to cry and glow.

Wait.

Glow?

Her body emanated a green light, growing stronger and brighter with each second until I was blinded.

"Wha-?" I managed to say before the light erupted in a flash, forcing me to close my eyes. I could feel the power crackle in the air. God, I wanted to open my eyes. I didn't know what was happening.

Finally the light faded and I could see again. I readied another attack so I could destroy the next round of Neoshadows while they were stunned, but all that was left of the hoard were the crystal hearts that released once a heartless "died". I expected them to dance up into the sky as they always do without a keyblade present, but instead they danced toward us and disappeared into the girl's chest. "What the heck?" I asked, incredulously, peering down at the girl only to see her eyes closed and body limp in my arms. "Oh no."

I checked her pulse. Nothing.

"Damn it!"

Then I had a thought. I checked my own pulse. There was none. So now there were two possibilities. One: This girl was dead. Two: This girl was a Nobody who was just rendered unconscious. I hoped for the second.

I lifted her effortlessly into a bridal-style hold and carried her back to the castle. No one dies on my watch unless I say otherwise.

**End of Chapter one!**

** How did you like it? I know Axel is slightly OOC, but those are his thoughts and you never know, he could be quite profound in his mind. **

** The next chapter has Demyx ^.^ and lots of dialogue that will bring out the Organization's characters. **

** REVIEW THE HECK OUT OF THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT ONE GOES UP WITHIN TWO DAYS!**


	2. Persuading Demyx

**NO REVIEWS! Come on, people, you can do better than that!**

**I'm only updating because I saw my story get lost on the pages -.-**

**Let's do better this time, okay?**

The doors shut themselves behind me as I entered the Organization's HQ. The empty halls echoed my footsteps as I tried to bring the unconscious girl in my arms to the infirmary as soon as possible. She felt cold in my arms. It could've been that we both had just come out of the rain, but I wasn't going to take any chances.

I headed toward the Grey Area. I just had to make it to the sickbay without getting the third degree. If I was lucky, everyone would be out on missions and would be go-

"Hey, Axel! Back already?"

Damn.

Of course. I should have remembered.

Demyx never went on missions.

"Must've been an easy kill if you're back this early." I heard him get up and follow me. "Hey man, where ya going in such a rush. And what's that you're holding?" His feet clanged on the metal floor as he hurried to match my stride, straining to see what was in my arms. "Dude- Whoa?" He exclaimed, seeing the beaten, lifeless girl. "What the hell happened? You're not supposed to bring the target back, dude!"

"She wasn't the target." I said, indifferently. I didn't care for this chit, chat. I needed to get to the infirmary. I hit the button on the floor by one of the glass panels on the floor and it shook to life. Before too long, the panel had slid away to reveal the staircase that led to the corridor that held all the practical rooms in the HQ.

"Well then who is she?"

I glanced down at her. "I have no idea."

"What? Dude, how do you not know?"

I scowled as I began descending the stairs. "Look, Demyx, I don't really have time to talk right now. Is the Boss-Man here?"

"Huh? You mean Xemnas? Nah, man he stepped out."

"Saïx?"

"Nope." He popped the "p". I sighed in irritation.

"Is _anyone_ here?"

"There's me."

"You've got to be kidding me." I groaned. "Okay, Demyx, you'll have to do. This girl is seriously injured- possibly dead- and I'm not too good at the healing stuff, so-"

"Say no more, dude." Demyx said, holding up a hand. "I'll help ya. And while we're fixing up the chickadee, you can tell me what happened."

I grumbled, but admitted defeat. "Fine."

By some act of a miracle, Demyx managed to remain relatively silent as we walked through the corridor to the infirmary, but he still managed to annoy the hell outta me. His mouth may have been shut, but his eyes were open and they were practically glued to the girl. He thought she was a target, a lamb to the slaughter, and now he was gazing at her like she was an angel sent from heaven. It aggravated me. I stuck out my leg, making Demyx fall flat on his face.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his nose in pain. "What was that for?"

I shrugged as best as I could with the girl in my arms. "Watch where you're going."

He mumbled something testily under his breath along the lines of "jealous bastard" and "now I'm going to need medical attention". Sissy.

We arrived at the sickbay. I maneuvered my hand so that I could input the entrance code into the pad by the door while carrying the girl. I punched in the wrong numbers the first and second time but managed to get it on the third try. The door slid open and I walked in, a grumpy Demyx on my heels.

I strode to the cot in the center of the room and gently set the girl down. I noticed she was still soaked to the bone and realized that I was too. I made a mental note to change and to dry off the two of us, but first thing's first.

"Okay, Demyx. How does all this stuff work?" I asked as the blonde entered the room, still rubbing his nose.

"Don't worry about me!" He said. "Not like I may have a broken nose or anything. Ignore the friend you've known for years and worry about the strange girl you picked off up the streets."

"Stop being such a drama queen. You don't have a heart to feel pain with. Now are you going to help or not?"

He grumbled to himself again and I caught bits of "no one cares about me." and "I remember pain" and "insensitive jealous bastard". I snorted.

He went to a machine the size of a toaster oven. He took some wires from the side and brought them to the cot. He set them to the side and began to pull the neckline of the girl's shirt down.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted, my face growing pink.

"The machine these wires are connected to monitor human vitals. I need to attach them to this girl's body." He said.

"You can't just reach down her shirt!"

"How else am I supposed to fasten the wire?"

"It's indecent!"

"Dude, she's completely out of it, she won't know. Do you want me to help or not?"

I was at a crossroads. I wanted to help the girl- if she wasn't already dead (I need to stop being a God damned pessimist!)- but I didn't want Demyx feeling her up either. The cheeky look in his eye wasn't helping my decision, but in the end, I ground my teeth and spoke through them. "Get it done."

He smirked. He God damn _smirked_ at me.

I sure as hell was gunna beat the senses out of him later.

Then he can attach wires to his _own_ chest.

I refused to watch his twisted face as he resumed attaching the wire. I glared a whole into the back of his head and swore he would be in this infirmary for weeks if he dawdled. He probably felt the dangerous aura emanating from me and finished quickly. At least he had _some_ brain cells.

Once he had completed fastening all the wires to the girl, he flicked the machine on. He examined the waves and numbers on the screen and I was briefly grateful he was there. I could have never deciphered the nonsense on that monitor.

Demyx pressed a button and a printed copy of the information spitted out of the machine connected to the one hooked up to the girl. He picked it up off the tray in a flourish and twirled to face me, clearing his throat.

"Cut the dramatics and just read the damn paper." I said.

Startled, Demyx cleared his throat once more hurriedly and read. "She's alive. Patient is a Nobody of unknown origins. She is a female of nineteen years. Her nobody persona was created fifteen years ago. She is five-foot five inches tall, has a high metabolism and heavenly curves."

"It doesn't say that." I frowned.

"No, but it's true." Demyx said, wiggling his eyebrows.

I scowled. "Just keep reading, smart ass."

He grinned sheepily at me and recoiled at my fierce scowl. He was quick to continue. "Uh, she has high stamina and…"

"And?" I said, irritated.

"Uh, well, it says- this can't be right!"

"What is it?"

"There must be something wrong with the machine. This reading is impossible."

"DEMYX!"

He jumped. "Uh, it's her power analysis. It's off the chart."

"What?" I said, incredulously.

"All of her attributes: attack, magic, even her element, they're all maxed out." He handed me the paper. "Here, see for yourself."

I took the sheet and tried to reading the numbers and letters. "This is all just mumbo-jumbo to me."

Demyx sighed and took it back. "The point is she could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" I said in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"We don't know where she came from." He countered. "She could be an assassin. She could be a spy."

"She's unconscious!" I yelled.

"Well, yeah, but who knows what she'll do when she wakes up. Dude, she could kill us all with a snap of her fingers."

"You weren't there!" I scowled. "She was running for her life. Hundreds of heartless- Neoshadows no less- were after her. She was terrified!"

Demyx looked at me in pity. "We can't keep her here."

I growled. "We can't throw her out! She's unconscious. She's hurt, damn it!"

"Axel…"

"Don't 'Axel' me! You know it's wrong to kick her out. She needs help."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I know, man. It's just, what will Xemnas say when he gets back? When he sees these readings, he'll freak. You know how he is about power. If someone had more than he does, he goes ballistic. Who knows what he'd do to her."

"Throw them out." I said.

"He'd just print another copy."

"Then fake them."

"I don't know if I can." He said, unsure.

"Come on, Demyx." I prodded gently. "Remember how it was when you had a heart. Remember all your emotions of pity and mercy and good-will. This girl needs our help."

"We shouldn't care." He said sadly. "We should be heart-less, coldhearted Nobodies like we're supposed to."

"But we're not." I said. "We can fake it all we want, but we know what it's like to have hearts. We remember how to feel, how to care and love. I saw her terrified and I knew I had to protect her. Search inside you and find your memories. Remember how to do good, Demyx. You can do it."

"Geez, man." He said, smiling weakly. "With a speech like that, how can I refuse?"

"So you'll do it? You'll help?"

"Yeah, man. I'll help."

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know!**

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	3. Reminiscing

**COME ON PEOPLE! NOT A SINGLE REVIEW! **

**Do you know how sad that makes me? **

**Very. **

**That's how sad it makes me.**

**But I still write this story, and since I'm a nice person (dang my niceness) and I understand that my story gets lost amongst all the KH stories, I will keep updating. **

**But I'm very disappointed in you people.**

I figured Demyx deserved to know what actually happened to the girl since he was being reasonably useful. I told him about how she tumbled out of the wall and sent both of us stumbling to the ground. I told him of the hundreds upon hundreds of Neoshadows relentlessly pursuing her and how she was all cut up and stuff even before they had caught up. I even told him about how scared she was and how sorry she was for dragging me into the whole affair.

And then I got to the hard part. I didn't really know what happened when the girl started to glow. It was the strangest thing and I couldn't even see when it intensified. But I tried my best and recalled what I remembered. How when the brilliant light dissipated, I saw the hearts of the Neoshadows seep into her chest. I said that was when she lost consciousness.

"Wow." Demyx mumbled.

"Yeah." I said. "I know."

"That's crazy, man."

"I know." I repeated.

We fell into a short silence until he spoke up again. "You gunna tell Xemnas?"

"You kidding?" I said, shocked. "He'd kill her on the spot if he knew."

"Well _someone_ should know about this besides us." Demyx said. "We're not the most omniscient people and I doubt we could keep this all under wraps by ourselves."

I thought it over. He had a point for once. "Okay. But we can't pick one of the higher ups. They're way too loyal. They'd rat on us as soon as we were out of earshot."

"Vexen?" Demyx suggested. "He may be a founding member, but he's definitely not loyal."

I frowned. "There's no way I'd let that crackpot near her. He'd want to experiment on her."

"Right. Uh, what about Zexion?"

"No, there's no way he'd help. He's still peeved at me for accidentally setting his cloak on fire."

"Ha! Ha! Oh yeah! I remember that! He was running in circles and screaming like a girl for, like, ten minutes before I had to put 'im out." He was doubling over in laughter. "Priceless!"

I smirked, then tried to think of an Organization member we could trust. I wasn't really comfortable with any of them being around the girl, but there was one who I knew would want to help if there was something in it for him. "Luxord."

"What?" Demyx said, sobering up. "You really think ol' Limey will help?"

"Yeah." I said, marveling at my own genius. "He's a gambler. Once he gets the right hand, he'll bluff and fool everyone into anything and everything he says. We just need to show him our Royal Flush."

As Demyx checked on the IVs he put into the girl's arm and cleaned her wounds, we formulated a game plan. Once Luxord got back from his mission, I'd go out and get him, saying that we had been horsing around in the infirmary and accidentally smoked one of the machines in the side. I would say that we tested it out to see what was broken and the print out labeled Demyx as a two-thousand-four-hundred year-old Ethiopian human and we needed his help to fix the time regulator. Since his element _was_ time, we knew he wouldn't be able to refuse. However, Luxord was still away on his mission and wasn't due back until who-knows-when.

To my displeasure, Demyx killed time by talking. "Where do you think she's from?"

"I don't know." I said, curtly.

"Well I know that, but common, man. If you had to guess…"

"I have no clue, Demyx."

"I'll bet she's from some unknown world that even the Organization doesn't know about." He said excitedly. "It's probably some beautiful place with floating islands and sapphire buildings and animals made out of different kinds of crystals! She's probably a princess there. Heir to the throne or something like that. Dude! We've got a princess in our midst!"

I smacked him upside the head. He stumbled back and caught himself on the edge of the counter by the wall. "Dude! What was that for?"

"For you to calm down, stupid." I said smirking. "You were getting too riled up in your hypothetical fantasies again."

"It may not be hypothetical. For all we know, this chic could be a princess from a strange world we don't know about."

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. I think it's about time you grow up, Demyx."

"Whatever, man." He frowned. "Just trying to make this whole thing a little more interesting while we wait for Limey to show up."

"Speaking of which, I'm going to the Grey Area to wait for him to get back." I sent Demyx a glare before adding. "Don't do anything funny to her while I'm gone."

He smiled innocently and batted his eyelashes. "Who me? Would I do anything like that?"

"Yes you would." I said, narrowing my eyes. "Behave and keep your paws off her. I'll know if you don't."

"Yeah, yeah whate- uh, wait… how exactly will you know?" He said, uneasily.

I smirked as darkly as possible before turning and leaving through the door.

"You spooked him really good, kupo. He's all jittery in there, checking over his shoulder like you're gunna appear and catch him in the act- though he's too paranoid to actually do anything worthy of guilt. Ke ke ke."

I nodded to the moogle, a satisfied smirk on my face as the creature chuckled. I wasn't stupid enough to just believe Demyx would take my threat seriously, so I bribed the Organization's furry friend with a handful of munny to keep an eye on him. However it seemed that my munny was wasted. Demyx was too busy freaking out to even think about trying anything funny with the girl.

"Excellent. Good work so far. Go back and make sure things stay this way. Report back in half an hour if I haven't returned." I said.

The moogle nodded and vanished and I was alone in the Grey Area once again. I plopped myself down on one of the couches and resumed my tedious waiting game. My mind drifted to what it always did when my mind wasn't busy:

Roxas.

God, I missed the little twerp. He had been my best friend after all. We were inseparable, the two of us- three of us if you like to include Xion. I don't. She reminds me of how everything fell apart.

It was hell here when Roxas left. I had no reason to be happy. Days became dreary and I was forced to adopt an obnoxious cycle of "wake up, complete mission, RTC and sleep.

And then I found where he was- in that dreadful make-believe world Diz created. It would have broken my heart if I had one when I realized Roxas didn't remember me. I can still feel the blunt sting in my hollow chest when I saw that look in his eyes. I knew my best friend was gone at that moment.

I was so filled with rage when he finally snapped back to normal. So angry that he could just forget everything we went through and then think everything was perfect and peachy just because he remembered. That wasn't going to fly with me. I wanted to make him pay for how he hurt me. How he left me.

But Diz whisked him away to the mansion and he reunited with _Sora_. Yet another person who came between me and Roxas' friendship.

I make it seem as if I hate Sora, though if I had a semblance I had of a heart to show emotions with, it would probably be a sort of affection. I cared about that twerp too. After all, Sora was Roxas. Or rather, Roxas was Sora.

When I met up with him later, I could see the Roxas in him. They were so alike (but that's to be expected since they're the same person) it made me feel as if I had been transported to the good ol' days of the Organization; kicking butt with my buddy. But that too, wasn't supposed to stay. And I faded away.

I knew I wasn't meant to exist. I was okay with dying. Not like I could feel it. Even in life I never knew what dying felt like.

I knew I was dead. I had faded; there was nothing of me left. I was dead. Pure and simply dead.

But then I woke up.

Through the haze of death I saw a light and suddenly I was back at HQ with the other Organization members. I could tell by their expressions that they were just as clueless as I was. That is, until Xemnas reappeared. He faded into existence, as I guess we all had done, a victorious smile on his face as he examined his hands in awe.

"Gentleman!" He boomed, grinning like the Cheshire Cat himself. Larxene cleared her throat. "And _lady_." He added. Larxene nodded her approval. "The residual power of Kingdom Hearts has recovered our Nobody forms! It has pieced us back together! We live on!" There were cheers. "If simply the residual energy of Kingdom Hearts can bring our husks back to us, imagine how easily it will grant us all hearts! We shall continue our mission! We will reclaim Kingdom Hearts!" There were more cheers as we lost ourselves in hope, excitement and exhilaration.

Things came to a skittering halt when we remembered we were out one keyblade wielder.

Our primary cycle resumed.

Scouting missions, snooping and, for me, taking out those who opposed us, until the blessed day came when a new keyblade wielder would join our midst.

** Okay guys. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE REVIEW! Tell me if you liked it or hated it (preferably liked) **


	4. Naps, Tea and Promiscuous Situations

**HALLELUIAH! REVIEWS! Albeit only a few, it's a start.**

**As a reward, here's the next chapter:**

I woke up to a moogle in my face. That wasn't something I was accustomed to so I jolted in shock.

"You're awake now, kupo." The moogle observed, hovering a few inches from my nose. "You fell asleep."

I yawned and stretched on the couch. "How long was I out?"

"A couple half hours." The moogle said. "I was coming back to report to you when I got distracted by the returning members. They wanted to do business, kupo."

I groaned and sat up. Then realized what the fuzz ball had said. "Which returning members?"

"The blond Brit and pink queer with the uncharacteristically low voice, kupo."

Luxord and Marluxia.

"Did they come back together?" I asked.

"Yes, kupo. They just returned from their mission."

"And where are they now?"

"They said they were going to the kitchen for 'a spot of tea' whatever that means, kupo."

"Damn." I muttered under my breath. I stood and tossed a large munny to the moogle. "Thanks, little guy. Go back to the infirmary and watch Demyx. Don't worry about reporting back, I'll be there shortly."

The creature nodded, giddy with its reward, and vanished. I stretched again, ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. "Let's get this done." I mumbled to myself and set off for the kitchen.

I heard the two before I saw them.

"Mmm… That's delightful!"

"Ahhh! That's the spot!"

I quirked an eyebrow before boldly venturing into the kitchen. I had no idea what to expect, but nothing really would have surprised me. I'd gotten used to the strangeness of the Organization and its members years ago. Today was no different.

So when I walked in and saw Luxord and Marluxia drinking out of dainty china teacups, I didn't think twice. "Yo." I greeted.

They turned toward me and nodded in recognition.

"Good day, Axel." Luxord greeted.

"Hello, Axel." Marluxia spoke, his crooked grin dominating his already messed up features. "Finished your killings for today?"

"Uh, yeah," I said. My was voice even but I shifted unconsciously on my feet. "All targets neutralized."

"Good to hear."

There was a pause. I decided it was now or never. "Hey, Luxord," I said, shifting slightly again.

"Yes?" He said, taking a sip out of his tea and setting it down on a tiny saucer.

"We need a little favor. That is, Demyx and I, we were wondering if-"

Marluxia set his teacup down as well. "Cut to the chase, boy."

I glared at him. I hated it when anyone, especially _Flowers_, spoke down to me. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Temper, temper." He sneered.

I growled and moved my focus back to Luxord before I set the kitchen on fire. "Demyx was horsing around in the infirmary and hit the analysis machine. It's spewing out crap like he's a thousand years old and from 'Ethiopia' or something. We need you to fix the time regulator." I shot a glance at Marluxia. "_Chaste_ enough for you?" Flowers smirked but said nothing.

Luxord sighed. "Must've been having a dance party with his water clones again. Alright, let me finish my tea and I'll be right along."

"Ditto." Marluxia smirked, picking up his cup and emptying it.

"Why are you coming?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"It's not like there's anything else to do around here." He replied, standing and sauntering over to me. "You don't have a problem with that, do you Flames?"

I growled. "There's not a lot of space."

"Nonsense! There's plenty of room for all four of us!"

_Yeah, except there's five of us and one is unconscious on a cot that takes up most of the standing space._

"I won't get in the way. Will I Luxord?" Flowers asked the Brit.

Luxord finished his tea and set the cup down as he stood. "I don't believe so."

"See, Flames? Nothing to worry about." And with that, he led the way out of the kitchen and down the hall to the infirmary. There was no way in hell he was going to lead me so I cut him off and passed him. I could hear him 'humph' and mutter something about my rudeness under his breath, but I didn't care. I was too busy cursing him under mine.

We were almost to the infirmary door and I was frantically trying to come up with some kind of plan to get Marluxia to scram. He may not be loyal, but he's sketchy as hell and there was no way I was letting him near the girl.

An idea miraculously came to me when we reached the door. I stopped and knocked. I heard Demyx jump out of his seat. "W-who's there?" He asked, nervously.

"Chill, Demyx. It's Axel." I said. "Luxord _and Marluxia_ are here too."

"Wha-?" There was a crash. Kid probably ran into something in anxiety. "Uh… O-one second."

I turned and shrugged at the other members. They shared an unsure glance.

We waited while Demyx did who-knows-what in the infirmary, trying to hide the girl somewhere so Marluxia didn't see. Flowers was tapping his foot impatiently.

"This is ridiculous!" He growled, pushing me out of the way so he could yell through the door. "Demyx! What in God's name are you doing in there?"

"Uh… I'm…uh, cleaning up! It's a mess in here!"

"It's not like the Queen of Hearts is out here, Demyx! Let us in!"

"Just give me one more second!"

"Ugh!" Marluxia exclaimed in frustration. "I've had enough of this." Before I could even think, he punched in the entrance code and the door slid open.

"No, no! Don't come in- WAH!" Another crash.

Marluxia strode inside, followed by Luxord. I dashed in after them.

All of our jaws dropped.

Before us was Demyx, sprawled on the floor with medical equipment scattered everywhere and a table upturned. He wasn't alone though. Under him, pinned by Demyx's arms and legs was the girl, still unconscious.

"Demyx." I said darkly. "What happened?"

The moogle appeared in front of me. "He tried something funny, kupo."

"What!" Demyx said desperately from the ground. "No, man! It's not what it looks like! I tripped!"

I glared at him.

"What in the name of The World That Never Was is going on?" Luxord exclaimed. "Who is that girl?"

I groaned. _Damn_. "Come in and close the door." I said, moodily. "We don't want this conversation to be overheard."

"And if we refuse to cooperate?" Marluxia said in defiance.

"Then you miss out." I said simply, turning from him to pick Demyx off the floor. "Oh," I added, my eyes flashing dangerously as I lifted the girl into my arms. "and you get me as an enemy. Your choice."

The anxious look on Marluxia's face made me feel as if I was on top of the world. I became the king when he closed the door in defeat.

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	5. Annoying Flowers

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I set the girl back on the cot when Demyx had righted the room. He hooked her back to the machine and double checked her systems to make sure she wasn't damaged by the fall. He was damn lucky she was fine.

When things settled down again, I explained the events that happened when I had left for my mission. Things went relatively smoothly, Marluxia rolled his eyes when I described the fear the girl showed in her eyes and groaned something about "cheesy bastard" when I retold how I promised to help her.

I get called a bastard a lot. Wonder why.

Demyx decided to jump in when I got to the part about taking the girl to the infirmary. He was sure to mention the bits where he helped but managed to exclude the episode we had when he was attaching the wires to her chest.

When everything was told, I turned to Luxord. "So, what do you think? Do you have any idea what she is or how she destroyed the Neoshadows and absorbed their hearts?"

The man placed a hand on his chin, stroking his beard as he thought. "It is curious. I have a few notions, but they are notions none-the-less. I will do some research before letting you know of my wonderings."

"You won't even tell us what your best guess is?" Demyx asked, incredulously.

"Better to give you facts than falsehoods." Luxord said.

I glanced at Marluxia, who was staring rather intent at the sleeping girl. I glared at him. "And what are you gunna do?" I asked coldly. "You gunna rat on us to Xemnas?"

He smirked. "Do you really think I would do that?"

"Yes."

He laughed through his breath in a sort of _hmph _before grinning that twisted grin of his. "There really isn't anything for me to gain if I did."

"There isn't anything to gain siding with us." Demyx pointed out.

"Perhaps not a material gain." Marluxia said, standing and walking to the cot. "But if I had the choice between being a faithful dog for the Organization and hording a mysterious, striking girl with unknown powers right under Xemnas and Saïx's noses, well, let's say the higher ups can bury their own bones in the yard." He reached down and ran a hand through the girl's raven hair. I growled at him and he faced me with a loathsome smirk. "What's the matter Flames? I'm I getting too close to your precious captive?"

I got to my feet. "She's not a captive." I said in a low voice I knew was dangerous.

He sneered. "So she asked to be taken here by a strange man she has never met before?"

"She was unconscious." I said, my impatience with Marluxia getting thinner with every word that came from his way-too-feminine lips. "I brought her here out of the rain and out of danger so she could heal."

"How generous of you." Flowers said in that condescending tone he knew pissed me off. "I never would have thought you had such a caring heart- oh wait! You don't have a heart, do you?"

"We have our memories, Marluxia." Luxord interrupted. "Sometimes memories act as our hearts and we can emote as humans. Leave Axel alone, he has done nothing wrong. It's quite the opposite in actuality for he has brought our salvation to us." He gestured to the girl.

"What d'ya mean?" Demyx said, confused.

"It is again merely a hypothesis, and I shall further explain when we next gather." Luxord stood. "I think this will do for the day. Thank you for including us in this affair. I will research and get back to you with my findings. Until then-" He opened the door and gestured to Flowers. "Marluxia and I will busy ourselves with other matters. Good day, boys." And with that, he and Marluxia departed. The door slid closed but then reopened a second after. Luxord popped his head into the room. "Oh, and Axel, do something about the girl's clothes will you? She's shivering cold from being soaked to the skin and she may get a fever."

"Uh, right!" I said, just remembering that she was still in her wet clothes.

"Good lad." Luxord nodded his approval and left again.

When I was sure they were gone, I slumped down into my chair again. "Oh boy." I sighed. "What are we going to do?"

"What can we do?" Demyx said, deflated. "Marluxia is Marluxia. He does what _he_ wants, not what _we_ want. Right now we should get this girl into some dry clothes and worry about Sir Flamboyant later."

I caught the devious glint in his grin as his eyes roamed freely over the girl. I narrowed my gaze and nearly snarled. "Don't even think about it."

He feigned innocence. "Think about what?"

"Don't play dumb." I said in warning. "You are not going to be the one changing her clothes."

"And you are?" He frowned.

"No, I actually have class. I'm going to do this…" I lit my finger on fire. "You may want to step outside, Aqua. It's gunna get hot in here."

I let loose a firestorm around the perimeter of the infirmary so as to not scorch the girl or Demyx- though I did let a flame or two lick Blondie's mullet, to which he quickly doused. I laughed at him until he returned the favor and dumped water on my head. I growled, but let it go. I wasn't childish enough to start a full blown water-fire fight in a small sickbay with a patient inside. Besides, the heat of my flames would evaporate the water in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

I halted the fire when I saw the beads of sweat on the girl's brow. When Demyx thought it was save to move, he went over and ran a hand on her arm. "She's dry, man."

"No need to sound so disappointed, Demyx."

"Whatever, dude. If I wasn't here, you wouldn't have hesitated to strip her."

I held up my middle finger, little flames dancing around it.

He stopped bugging me.

**I know it's shorter than normal but I wanted the next two parts together.**

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	6. Waking Up and Getting Around the Rounds

**Sorry, sorry! I know it's been forever since I updated anything. I won't give excuses (besides me being a lazy ass) and just let you read.**

"What are we gunna do, man?" Demyx said, jittery. We had stayed with the girl for most of the day, keeping watch on her, checking her system, et cetera. It was now eleven PM. "It's nearly time for Saïx's rounds. He'll check our rooms and when he figures out we're not there, he'll search the whole castle."

"He does that anyway." I said. "Even if we went back, he ensures every room is the way it should be. And I'm pretty sure an unconscious girl on the cot in the infirmary screams 'not as it should be'."

"Well then WHAT ARE WE GUNNA DO?" He said, franticly.

I thought for a while, but only came to one conclusion. "We'll have to bring her to one of our rooms."

Demyx's sly smile began to appear on his face. I shot it down with a flick to his forehead. "She will not be staying with you. I don't trust you to be in the same room as her unsupervised."

"And it's okay for you to be?" He said grumpily, rubbing the spot where I had flicked.

"I don't get a creepy smile on my face when I think of being along with a girl."

"No, you get a creepy smile on your face when you think of being alone with _Roxas_." Demyx smirked victoriously until I set his mullet on fire again. He panicked for a few seconds, trying to put out the flames by patting them before he remembered his element. He slumped on the floor, his hair smoldering. "Stop doing that, dude." He grumbled.

We were silent for a while until Demyx spoke again, softly this time. "I was only kidding about the Roxas thing. I know you two were just really close friends and nothing more. I just get jealous sometimes, you know? You and Roxas had such a good relationship even though neither of you had hearts. It was like you guys just _clicked_ and you didn't even have to try. It was like you were destined to be best friends."

I was surprised. "Yeah…I guess. I never thought of it that way before."

"Yeah, well, don't let it get you down too much that he's not around anymore, okay? It's not like he's dead, he's inside Sora. You can see him again someday, right? Once we complete Kingdom Hearts and get hearts of our own, you can get outta here and find Sora and become _real _friends."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"Ugh!"

Demyx and I whipped our heads to the cot. The girl was awake and staring at us with her gorgeous green eyes like a dear in the headlights.

We jumped to our feet, looking at each other franticly. Neither of us expected her to wake up so soon. We floundered for something to say, but where were we supposed to start?

Turns out we didn't have to; 'cause she started for us.

"I know you." She said to me. "You were the one in the street. You helped me."

Suddenly I was self-conscious under her gaze. "Uh, yeah."

"You're alright." She smiled and I just about died. "I'm glad." She tried to sit up, but her arms weren't strong enough to support her upper body weight and she collapsed.

"Careful." I said. "You're still recovering."

"I'm fine." She insisted, trying again.

I noticed her arms shaking and went over to assist. "Here, let me help." I pushed on her back to ease her into a sitting position.

"Thanks." She said, smiling. I swear, every time she did that, I died all over again.

Demyx cleared his throat, drawing her attention. "Oh! Uh, hello." She said, awkwardly.

"Hey." He said, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, sorry!" He said, making his way over to her side to join me. "We haven't met. I'm Demyx, Axel's friend. I've been helping look after you. This lummox," He said, slapping his hand on my shoulder. "can't even turn on an analysis machine, let alone read the screen."

She smiled -God, she had to stop doing that- and took some time to take in her surroundings. "Where… where am I?"

"You're in The Castle That Never Was," Demyx said, cheerfully. "the headquarters of Organization XIII."

"Organization Thirteen?" The girl wondered, curiously. "What's that?"

"You're looking at two members, girl!" Demyx winked. "We're what you call a group of _special_ Nobodies."

She frowned. "It's not nice to call yourself nobodies. Everyone is important and everyone is somebody."

I smiled at her kindness to strange men she had never met before. "Capital 'N'. A Nobody is what remains of those who have lost their hearts to Darkness. It's what we are. What we _all_ are."

She tilted her head in confusion. "'We _all _are'? Are you saying I'm a Nobody too?"

"Uh, well…" I said, awkwardly. "Our machine over there," I gestured behind me. "has identified you are one, and when you lost consciousness I checked for a pulse and didn't find one."

"But I'm still alive… I am alive, aren't I?" I nodded and she went on. "Then how come you didn't find a pulse?"

"That's the thing about us Nobodies." I said. "We don't have hearts."

That one shocked her. "I-I don't have a heart anymore?

"'Fraid not."

"But… I can still feel things. I am grateful to the two of you. Gratitude is an emotion that comes from the heart."

"Like I said before," Demyx smiled. "us Nobodies in the Organization are special. We can remember how to feel even if we don't have hearts. You're the same way."

Before the girl could say anything more, we heard the trap door in the Grey Area begin to open above us, the noise carrying through the empty castle. Demyx and I jumped to attention.

"We have to go." I hissed.

"Wha-? Why?" She asked, trying to maneuver off the cot and onto the floor. I could see her struggling with the pain.

"You're still hurt. Here, I'll carry you." I scooped her into my arms before she could respond and we headed for the door. "I'll explain everything later, but right now we have to go."

**There you go! Hope you liked it! **

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	7. Escape and Fevers

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**I've been working on this story recently and thought I may as well give a short update as I go, so here it is.**

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I dashed into my room, the door sliding closed behind me. Demyx stayed behind a little ways in order to provide a distraction if needed, albeit rather reluctantly. He knew there was no way of knowing if we needed a distraction or not, but I, uh, _persuaded_ him into waiting by the stairs anyway. It wouldn't take long for Saïx to order Demyx to his room, but it was all we had.

I set the girl down on the other side of my bed, hiding her from the door. "Just lie here quietly until I give you the all clear okay? Someone will come in here, but he will leave once he thinks everything's in order. I know it's not comfortable, but it's not for long. Just don't move or make a sound, alright?"

She nodded obediently, yet I could still see the hesitation and confusion in her eyes.

I hopped onto the bed and closed my eyes, listening for the sounds of footsteps in the hall. It didn't take long from the _clomp_ of Organization boots to fall into the corridor but I wasn't surprised. Demyx was a pussy cat in the face of authority, especially from the second in command. I knew he wouldn't put up a fight.

Steadily the steps proceeded, stopped, proceeded and continued the cycle until they were right outside the entrance of my bedroom. My code was typed into the pad and the door slid open. I made myself calm; kept my face relaxed and breathed evenly. There was a second or two long hesitation that made me nervous before the door closed and the boots clomped away and down the hall.

When I knew Saïx was a long ways down the corridor, maybe even in his own room, I jumped off my bed and knelt next to the girl. She looked into my eyes, waiting for me to speak. "Coast is clear." I smiled, picking her up and setting her on my bed. "Saïx, the Organization's second in command, finished the rounds and is probably snoozing away by now."

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry we had to drag you around when you're still healing, it's just, strictly speaking, we're not supposed to have outsiders in the castle." I said sitting beside her.

"That's okay. I'm just sorry you had to go through so much trouble for me." She looked away from me, a look of sad guilt on her face.

"Hey, don't think like that." I said gently, taking her chin and guiding her face back to look at me. "It's nothing. In fact life has been pretty boring 'round here. It's been fun helping you out and sneaking around." I winked.

She laughed, her light giggles turning into harsh coughs. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked, feeling her forehead. She was warm "Damn, I knew I should have dried you off sooner. You've got a fever."

"It's not that bad." She said as a shiver shot through her and her coughs resumed.

I frowned. "You're cold." I pulled the blankets over and hovered next to her. She continued to shiver. And idea came to me but I hesitated. I didn't want to overstep the already thin boundaries. However, as time ticked by and she was still trembling and coughing, I decided to speak my mind. "If it's okay with you, we can sleep together." I was quick to add, "Not in a sexual way, just to share body heat. I won't touch you."

She hesitated, thinking it over, but she shivered and her body made the decision for her. She nodded and I slipped under the covers. After a while she was still shaking.

"Look," I said, my face growing warm. Damn, this situation was crazy. "I know I said I wouldn't touch you, but, uh, if you want, I can hold you closer so you can get more heat." Damn, damn damn! This was so awkward.

She paused again. I knew she was at a crossroads. There was probably no way she wanted a stranger to snuggle up to her in an unknown castle in an unknown room, but it was obvious that she was chilled from the fever. Finally she spoke softly; so soft it was almost a whisper, but I caught it. "Okay."

**There it is. Hope you liked it.**

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	8. Found Out

**Here's the next update. Sorry about the wait, but I've started a new novel (which is going splendidly by the way) and no one was REVIEWING to encourage an update.**

**Anyway, it had to be done. **

I awoke to the smell of vanilla and the feel of hair tickling my noise. I groggily opened my eyes and went from one pitch black to another. Lying in front of me was the girl, my nose in her raven hair. _So that's where the vanilla scent was coming from_, I thought. Her breathing was even and soft so I knew she was still fast asleep. My arms were enveloped around her waist and she was pressed to me, her back flush against my chest and her warmth radiating. It felt nice. I snuggled even closer, reveling in the comfort and closed my eyes, drifting back to sleep until-

"I knew it."

The ice-cold voice sent shivers down my spine and I jolted awake. I whipped my head back to see Saïx's hard face glaring at me, a victorious smirk contrasting his frigid eyes. The girl stirred.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" I asked, angrily.

"What am _I_ doing?" he scoffed in disbelief. "I was about to ask you what _you_ were doing with a _mysterious woman_ in your_ bed_." He said, reaching over me and snatching the girl, hulling her above me and to his side. She was wide awake now, her eyes bright and scared as Saïx clutched her wrist.

"Let her go." I growled.

"Who is she?" He commanded an answer and he tightened his grip. The girl winced. "A prostitute? You know the rules, Axel."

"She's not a prostitute!" I narrowed my eyes at the Organization's Number VII. "She was hurt. A bunch of Neoshadows were after her."

"Why were they after her?" He demanded.

I thought for a moment, going over what I knew. She was chased relentlessly by heartless whose numbers never seemed to let up. She could glow and destroy hundreds of Neoshadows in a matter of seconds. The discarded hearts were drawn inside of her body and her power levels were off the chart. I started to get the feeling that it was a strange ability she harbored inside of her that made her the heartless' target, but I wasn't going to tell Saïx any of that, so I remained silent.

"Why were they after her?" He asked again, his impatience increasing and it showed on his face. _What is he so irritated for?_

"So be it" He said testily. "If you won't tell me, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands." With that, he turned on his heel and proceeded to drag the nervous, frightened and fraught girl out of my room. I struggled to my feet, disentangling my limbs from my sheets, and bolted after him.

"Saïx!" I yelled as my door closed on my face. I grumbled but ignored the stinging memory of pain and punched the code on the pad. In my hurry I typed the wrong numbers once and again the second time. "COME ON!" I hissed in impatience and anxiety. Finally the door slid away as I entered the proper code and I dashed down the hall to the figures quickly moving toward the staircase.

"Saïx!" I cried once more, trying to catch up to the man tugging the helpless girl along the corridor. "What are you doing? Let her go! Saïx!"

He ignored me and they arrived at the end of the hall. Saïx pulled the girl up the stairs so hurriedly she nearly fell. Once they were in the Grey Area the glass panel began to shift back into place over the trap door. I sprinted before it could close and allow Saïx to put more distance between us. I leapt up the steps and flew myself out of the passage, rolling across the floor in time for the panel to barely miss trapping the end of my Organization cloak. I sprang to my feet and rushed down the main corridor. I saw the end of Saïx's cape flutter into the middle door- the one that led to the Round Room. I skidded to a halt as I neared the entrance and burst into the enormous room.

"Saïx!" I yelled as I caught sight of the second in command standing on the circular platform in the center of the room, the girl feebly struggling in his grasp. The thrones around the chamber were empty save one. I cowered under his stare as he shifted it to me emotionlessly. Of course Saïx would take her to the one man that could destroy me in a second. I gulped.

"So good of you to join us Axel." Xemnas sneered. "Saïx had just begun to talk about you harboring this mysterious girl without notifying either of us."

I shifted. "Uh…"

"Shadow got your tongue?"

"…"

"Hmph." The boss laughed under his breath, then turned to Saïx. "Continue the report."

"Yes sire. As I was saying, it seems as if Axel was aiding this woman in secret. She's wounded from some sort of battle and he was tending to her. Since he in completely inept at taking care of someone-"

"Hey!" I yelled.

"-I assume he asked for assistance from another member, most likely Demyx because of his dreadful attempt to stall me when I began my rounds. I checked Axel's room but saw nothing out of the ordinary. I was still suspicious however and spoke to the Organization's moggle this morning who offered information in return for munny."

_Snitch_.

"He informed me that Axel was acting peculiar around a girl he brought in, unconscious, from the street and had paid him to keep an eye on Demyx- who was tending to the woman in the infirmary- while he waited for Luxord to come back from a mission. The moggle said that they need Luxord to fix the time regulator on the analysis machine."

"You broke the time regulator?" Xemnas asked me.

"Uh, yeah." I said. "It was Demyx. You know how out of control his water clones get sometimes."

Number I stared at me for a while before he nodded to Saïx. "Go on."

"I went to Axel's room in the morning to see if had the woman and lo and behold she-" He pulled the girl in front, displaying her like evidence before the superior. "-was in bed with him, snuggled between his arms." He said reproachfully as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth.

"The events that followed?" Xemnas asked.

"I questioned Axel, but he refused to answer."

"Your request?"

"As you know, sire, the heartless have become restless and have the Castle surrounded."

"They what?" I asked, my jaw dropped in surprise.

Saïx sent me a chilly glance over his shoulder. "Just as I said, we are surrounded by hoards of heartless." He turned back to Xemnas. "I believe this girl," he shook her wrist in a gesture I thought unnecessary. "is the reason why they have gathered."

"And why do you think so, Number XII?" Xemnas asked. "What's your reasoning?"

"Yeah, 'Number XII'," I sneered, narrowing my eyes in warning. "What's your reasoning?"

He shot me a glare. "I'm not afraid of you, Axel." Saïx continued as if I hadn't commented. "The heartless began accumulating since last night, sire. I believe they want this girl."

_Damn. _I thought. _This isn't good._

"What makes you think that?" Xemnas said, inspecting the girl. "She looks weak. There can't be anything special about her besides her attractive outward appearance."

That took me for a spin. I knew she was something else and everyone thought she was hot, but if even Xemnas was complimenting her looks, things might get complicated.

Even Saïx was momentarily stunned by the praise. He recovered however and cleared his throat. "I'm not sure why the heartless are after her, sire. Axel refused to answer my questions so I came up with another way to figure things out."

"And that is?"

_Yeah, and that is?_

"I want to throw her to the heartless."

I ran up the stairs to the platform and nearly tackled Saïx to the ground. "YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?"

"You left me with no choice, Axel." Saïx said. "You wouldn't respond to anything I asked you. I know your hiding something about this woman, and I intend to get to the bottom of it."

I wanted to punch his lights out. "Why? What's so important to find out that you are willing to throw an injured girl into a menacing hoard of heartless?"

"You seem to be awfully protective of her, Axel." Xemnas said above us.

I shifted again and muttered. "It's just not right."

I could feel the leader's gaze fixed so intensely on me that I thought his eyes might burn a hole through me. He _humph_ed and addressed Saïx. "Permission granted."

**What will happen to the mysterious girl? Will she be killed? Will Axel stop Saïx from throwing her to the heartless? Will anyone end up shaking up? (no.)**

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	9. Sink, Swim or Both

**Update for my own sake since no one seems to care.**

The girl continued to struggle even as Saïx drug her through the front entrance to the Castle That Never Was and to the grand staircase that lead to the streets. Xemnas and I followed. I was furious at Saïx for going through with this but with the Superior here, I was powerless to stop him. I contemplated sneaking off through the dark corridor and going down to help her when no one was looking but Xemnas was watching me like a hawk.

"You can't do this." I tried again to persuade the second in command into seeing reason. It was a long shot, but I had to try. "She's injured and weak. She'll die if you throw her to those creatures!"

"You have brought this upon yourself, Axel." Saïx said haughtily. "In refusing to cooperate, you sealed her fate. It's in her hands now. She can reveal her powers and live or die and keep them secret."

"You're a monster." I growled.

Saïx chuckled. "Aren't we all?"

Xemnas' deep voice cut through the air before I could speak. "Enough of this chatter." He strode to his second in command. "If you plan on going through with this plan, you better do it now before we are overrun."

Saïx nodded. "Yes, sire."

Panic -or at least the knowledge of how to and when- was rising inside me as the girl was dragged to the edge of the stairs. She was struggling with what little energy she had left, but that was no match for the thirty-some year old man. If she couldn't even fend off one Nobody, how was she going to survive in the sea of heartless?

If I told them what had happened yesterday, I knew Xemnas would strike her down where she stood. But if I let them throw her to the heartless she would be overwhelmed. If I told she was dead. If I kept quiet, she was dead. I couldn't see a way out of this.

I was forced to decide how to kill her.

Before I could even choose, Saïx pushed the girl off the stairs and into the black mass of heartless. Her gut-wrenching scream pierced the air as she fell.

I yelled and ran to the edge of the steps so I could see her.

She lay on the ground, dazed but conscious as she attempted to sit up. The heartless around her –primarily Shadows- watched her intently but did not attack. They must have been surprised by her fall and wondered if she was some sort of strange creature that flew. But the ones in behind were restless and moved this way and that, anxious to get to their prey.

"Common you idiot…" I muttered under my breath, then yelled down to the girl, "RUN!"

She looked up at me, confused yet somehow relieved to see me. The motion of heartless around her brought her back to her situation and she became all too aware of the danger she was in. The Shadows began to inch closer and she scooted back on the stone ground. They continued to advance. Scared and nervous, the girl got to her feet slowly and backed away from the creatures. They followed.

She kept backing up until a set of claws ripped into her back. She cried out and stumbled away from the heartless that lurked behind her but came to face the ones flanking her front. She was totally surrounded.

I watched in horror as they closed in. There was nowhere to run. She was doomed.

The girl was even more terrified than I was. She turned this way and that, hoping to find a gap she could dash through, something that could save her. She found nothing. The heartless were mere feet away, some reaching out to slash at her only to have her dodge their claws. She wouldn't be able to do that for long. Soon the Shadows were so close that if she got away from one set of claws, she was met with another.

In a matter of seconds the girl was crying, her body even more cut and bloody than when I had first seen her. My would-be-heart ached as she continued to scream and cry as the heartless tore into her flesh. She fell to her knees in exhaustion, trying to shield her face with her hands as she sobbed. The heartless continued their onslaught.

I turned my head away, not being able to bear anymore. Until…

"W-what in-?" I heard Saïx say, stunned.

Xemnas was equally flummoxed. "What's going on?"

I whipped my head back to the scene bellow. The girl was still there, crying and bloody but the heartless had backed off and were skittish as if they were nervous. And I knew why.

The girl was glowing again.

That same radiant, soft, green glow that would have made me relieved if not for the two most powerful Nobodies in Organization XIII standing beside me, seeing what I was. _CRAP! _What was I supposed to do? They were going to see! Xemnas was going to kill her if exhaustion or bleeding didn't first!

The glow was intensifying and we had to shield our eyes. _Here it comes!_ I grimaced, looking away from the light as it became blinding. A few seconds too late, I thought of attacking Xemnas and Saïx while neither could see but there was a flash and the light went away as soon as it had started. The heartless were gone, nothing but the hundreds of hearts they stole filled the streets. The girl lay face down and still on the ground.

I cleared my throat and attempted to distract the two. "Ugh, what a waste of hearts." I sighed in fake disappointment. "Oh well. What are we supposed to do? We don't have a keyblade wielder anymore. What d'ya say we go hand out some reconnaissance missions to the others, huh? We're sure to find someone out there in one of these worl-"

"Axel, shut up!" Saïx snapped, his eyes still fixed on the girl. "Xemnas, are you seeing this?"

"Yes. It's extraordinary." The leader said in awe.

I turned back to the ledge. The hearts had begun to seep into the girl's chest. _Damn!_

There was nothing I could do. They'd seen her absorb the hearts. They would run tests, they would find out what she was and what she was capable of (I would too since I didn't even know that much) and Xemnas would "dispose" of her because she was too much of a threat to his rule or whatever. It wasn't fair that that man's hunger for power would end an innocent girl's life.

Once all the hearts had vanished into the girl, everything was quiet. After a while Xemnas turned to me. "You knew she could do that?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Uh… well…"

"Yes or no, Axel." He said, his eyes piercing mine.

I mustered up all the courage I had and sent him a glare as I growled. "It doesn't matter. You have your answers." I walked to the edge of the stairs, pausing to see if I'd be stopped- not that I cared- and flew down the steps to tend to the girl.

No one yelled at me. Xemnas didn't smite me. Saïx didn't scold. I looked up at them as I knelt by the girl's unmoving body. They simply watched me and continued to do so as I lifted her into my arms. I felt a sense of foreboding as I sent them a final glare before deciding that the stairs were not my best option and opened a dark corridor to the infirmary.

They didn't stop me.

I think that was what unnerved me the most.

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